Political parties in Tamil Nadu called for the ban on the LTTE to be lifted, after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) annulled measures taken against LTTE over procedural grounds in a ruling delivered on Thursday. "The ECJ’s decision will boost the efforts of Sri Lankan Tamils to form a nation of their own," said the founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), S. Ramadoss, was quoted by The Hindu as saying. He called on India to "take its cue" from the ECJ annulment, the paper added. The leader of the Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK), Thol Thirumavalavan said the ruling "exposed the canards spread by the Indian and Sri Lankan governments against the LTTE".
Sri Lanka's ambassador to the United States, Prasad Kariyawasam, dismissed the impact of the UN inquiry into mass atrocities in the country, stating that Sri Lanka is not prepared to accept the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL) report, which is due in March 2015. Asked by NewsFirst during an interview whether March would be a decisive time for Sri Lanka, Ambassador Kariyawasam said, "I don’t understand why it is decisive. Next march they will be presenting a report on Sri Lanka to the Human Rights Council. We don’t accept this report and we are not prepared to accept it as well. This is because we have identified their process as one which is wrong and unsuccessful." "We don’t think this report is decisive for the future of the country however we are ready to face any repercussions that could occur due to this report. We are currently engaging in discussions with members of Congress and I believe that, through their intervention, we could minimise the repercussions that could occur as a result of this report," he added. Asked about the international criticism Sri Lanka has increasingly received over the past few years, Kariyawasam blamed "Tamil extremist groups" in the diaspora.
Sri Lanka's External Affairs Ministry Monitoring MP Sajin Vaas Gunawardene condemned the General Court of European Union's ruling on Thursday to annul the measures taken against the LTTE , warning that it would aid the Tamil diaspora. "The EU decision to lift the ban on the LTTE was a shot in the arm for the LTTE and the diaspora," Gunawardene told journalists at a press conference in the SLFP headquarters, the Daily Mirror reports. "With this decision all EU members would regard the LTTE as a legitimate organisation," he added. The ruling was also condemned by the Buddhist monk group, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). The BBS called on the Sri Lankan government to "take steps to curb separatist elements that were still active in [Sri Lanka]", the Daily Mirror reported.
A Northern Provincial Council member was interrogated by Sri Lankan military personnel at his family residence on Saturday. “Three soldiers in military uniform came to my house in Walalai and questioned me about the personal details of my family. They said they had received orders from the top to question me. One of them said that he was officer in charge of the Vasavilan army camp,” Balachandran Kajatheepan told the Colombo Mirror . Kajatheepan added that it was obvious the soldiers were warning him that he was under surveillance. “They want to give a message or a kind of warning to the...
Sri Lanka's economy requires a substantial amount of foreign direct investment in order to sustain the current economic growth, said Minister for Investment Promotion Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, according to Ceylon Today . Speaking at the World Investor Forum in Geneva, Abeywardena said Sri Lanka needed $5bn in FDI, in order to achieve anticipated economic gains by 2016, but that current projections show, only $4bn will be raised. "Sri Lanka requires a substantial amount of investment to sustain the current growth momentum and embark upon its sustainable development goals successfully." "The private sector plays a major role in financing investment projects, so long as they generate profits. The challenge before Sri Lanka is to motivate them to finance the investment that could fill the resource gap, as the private sector is mainly driven by profits; the national priorities of a particular country may not necessarily be the priorities for the private sector," he said.
In separate incidents, two dead bodies have been found in Kokkaddicholai and Oorani, in the Eastern Province this week, reports Batti News. In Kokkaddicholai, 32 year old Arunasalam Kirubakaran was found hanging on Thursday, said the Eastern Province based website. Meanwhile, Batticaloa police reported they recovered the body of 55 year old Suntharanathan Santhirakumar in Oorani. Police are reportedly investigating both cases.
A Tamil prisoner in Batticaloa died on Thursday, after allegedly slipping and falling whilst cutting branches off a tree within court premises. Forty-five year old Paramanananthamoorthy Shanmuganathan was taken to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital for treatment, however died shortly afterwards, reports BattiNews .
The Sri Lanka Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to meet with India's National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, in New Delhi next week for "high-level" talks, reports The Hindu . Sources in New Delhi, confirmed the meeting however did not "get into the details", the paper added. The meeting follows talks between the two countries at the Second Annual Defence Dialogue held in Colombo earlier this month. See here for more.
The opposition party UNP denied that a deal had been reached between the TNA and the UNP, stressing that the party would not agree "to any conditions of any political party", the Colombo Gazette reports. "There is an attempt to give the impression the UNP has reached a deal with the TNA which could be seen as unpatriotic," the paper quoted UNP MP Kabir Hashim as saying. See related article: UNP rejects any political solution beyond 13A (14 Oct 2014) UNP leader seeks support from Fonseka (09 Oct 2014)
The Sri Lankan navy has reportedly damaged the fishing nets of some 20 Indian boats, who were fishing near Katchatheevu, reports PTI . Fishermen Association president S Emerit stated that 535 boats had left Rameswaram to go fishing, when Sri Lankan navy personnel in 5 navy vessels approached them near Katchatheevu. The Sri Lankan troops then proceeded to snap the nets of 5 boats and threatened the fishermen at gunpoint, said Emerit. The latest incident comes as the Sri Lankan navy handed over 94 Tamil Nadu fishermen to the Indian Coast Guard, releasing them from custody. Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Paneerselvam wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the Sri Lankan navy's treatment of Tamil Nadu fishermen. See our earlier post: Tamil Nadu CM seeks Modi intervention for release of fishing boats held by Sri Lanka (16 October 2014)